Dream a Little Dream
by Mia Skywalker
Summary: Bulma and Vegeta are cursed, and must conquer nightmares of their greatest fears before they can awaken. The PG13 rating is due to death, violence, and angst. We finally decided to finish this, so it has a real ending now. ^_^
1. Dream a Little Dream - part 1: Nightmare...

TITLE: Dream a Little Dream   
AUTHOR: Mia Skywalker, Wataruo   
GENRE: Dragonball Z   
CHARACTERS: Vegeta, Bulma, and an unnamed demon  
WARNINGS: Angst, death, some blood, slight OOCness (due to the angst)  
DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine (or Shawna's), but if they ever come up for grabs, I get first dibs! Well, except for the demon, she was completely my invention!  
NOTES: I had posted this before as a snippet, originally with no intention of ever finishing it. But because we were in the mood to write, but we weren't in the mood to write for ALitD at the moment, we decided to finish this piece. I hope you enjoy.   
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: TwoMoons for beta'ing this. Since it had previously been just a snippet, I hadn't had it beta'd before.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You shouldn't have called your man on me, Bulma," the demon said, sneering at the mortal. "SOUL... SHATTER!!" it screamed and all the energy in its staff seemed to explode in all directions, causing the house to shake, and for a split second, no one, even the demon itself, could have cast a spell to save their dead mother.  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
The first thing Vegeta was aware of when he came to was a pounding headache. "What happened?" he muttered aloud when he stood up. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the remains of Capsule Corporation. "What the..." He glanced around in confusion. He didn't think that the ki blasts he had aimed at the demon were powerful enough to do this kind of damage. The house and surrounding building were in shambles.  
  
He stepped forward looking for the demon. //I'll splatter it all over the country side when I get hold of it.// He wanted to get even with it for calling him 'Bulma's man'. The phrase implied ownership and no one owned him. //Or Bulma for that matter// he groused to himself as he stepped over various debris. It was as he was stepping over a fairly large sized boulder that his foot connected with something soft. He stepped back and look down to see what it was.  
  
A hand, a very delicately boned hand was sticking out from a large piece of rock. Normally this kind of thing wouldn't bother the warrior but there was something very familiar about the shape of this hand. Then it struck him. It was Bulma's hand. Bulma was buried under the rock. Bulma was trapped under several hundred pounds of rock. The realization made something snap inside Vegeta and he sprang into action.  
  
"NO!!!!!" the Saiyan prince shouted at the top of his lungs as he heaved the large boulder off of her. Vegeta found Bulma lying on her back, one hand thrown over her head, blood seeping from various gashes. From the position of her legs, he could tell both legs were at least broken. //If she is even alive// came the unbidden thought. //No human could have possibly lived through that.// Something in his stomach clenched at the thought, then he shook his head as if to clear it. //NO// he thought to himself in denial of what was painfully obvious. //No, she is NOT dead.//  
  
He knelt down next to her and felt for a pulse. "Oh Bulma, please.... don't be dead," he whispered. She wasn't breathing and he felt no pulse. "NO!" he screamed in anguish. He pulled Bulma's lifeless body into his arms and buried his face against her shoulder. "NO!!!" he repeated again and again. "Don't do this to me." His voice was laced with the agony he felt.  
  
Until this moment, Vegeta hadn't realized how much this human woman meant to him. She was the only one who really understood him. Bulma had taken him in, dared to argue with him, even though he could snap her like a twig. Bulma was not afraid of him. Vegeta didn't realize it, but tears had begun to flow from his eyes. He had never felt such loss, such desolation, such helplessness. Vegeta had never experienced any of the things he was now feeling. He didn't even know that he could feel with this kind of intensity. "Kami, don't die on me," he whispered hoarsely as his tears ran down his face. "I love you Bulma-chan. Please don't leave me," he begged her lifeless form. "Please don't leave me."  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
Bulma felt searing pain through her mind and body, and thought for a brief moment that she was dying. She heard a scream, a long drawn out sound that lasted forever, until the end of the universe. After a while she'd realized that it was her own scream, torn from her throat by the burning pain. She passed out, wondering if she was dying, thinking that only death could be this painful.  
  
When she woke again, there was an odd sound, and it took her a moment to realize the sound was her own ragged breathing. There were no other sounds. The silence was so intense it was almost painful. She opened her eyes to the shattered remains of her own home, the Capsule Corp buildings. It didn't occur to her to wonder how she'd gotten here, how she'd returned from that other dimension that somehow she'd been trapped in.  
  
She walked to the buildings, trying to find some signs of life. There was no indication that anyone was there, that anyone had even been there in years. She looked around and realized there weren't even any animals, or any plants. Somehow the buildings themselves had been transported to some otherworldly dimension. She frowned, a memory tickling the back of her mind, as she walked over to a large boulder and sat on it, contemplating the ruins. How had she gotten here? How had her home gotten here? That memory tickled her again, as she recognized the surrounding countryside finally, despite being denuded of life. Suddenly she realized that her home hadn't gotten transported after all, that this was her home, but that all life had somehow been leeched clean.  
  
She sucked in a breath, looking around. ::Son Goku?:: she wondered, panicking. ::Where is Son Goku? Where are my parents? Why didn't he stop whatever caused this?:: She ran, as fast as she could, to the Son house, her lungs burning by the time she got there. She stared at the clearing where the house should have been. The well was there, as were the firepits, but the house was gone. Almost as though it had never stood there. There was no sign of life here, either. No plants, no animals....  
  
Bulma collapsed to her knees on the ground, weeping. Where was everyone? Was she alone? She felt bereft, and a cold chill passed through her. She was alone, as she'd been alone all of her life. Even when people were around her she'd been alone, so alone....  
  
She pounded her fists on the ground and wept, feeling her heart breaking.   
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
Vegeta had no idea how long he knelt like that, holding Bulma's limp form against his, willing his mate to live. His head snapped up at the word *mate*. He hadn't realized it beforehand, but the warrior had considered Bulma his wife. Vegeta frowned, then looked back down at Bulma's body and tears started anew. //Why now?// Vegeta wondered. //Why do I realize this now?// The pain and an utter sense of loss filled his heart. He sat there for a few more moments as he allowed himself for the first time in years to feel, really feel.  
  
//Sitting her bawling like a baby is not going to help you.// His free hand brushed strands of hair away from her face and bent his head to place a soft kiss on her cooling forehead. "I should've told you," he whispered to her silent form. "I should've told you how much you mean to me. Would it please you to know you have done this to the strongest soldier in the universe?" He knew he wasn't going to get a reply, but talking out loud was calming him, making him realize he could bring Bulma back.  
  
Vegeta stood carrying Bulma over to a clearing and set her down. He knelt down to wipe the blood off of her face and arrange her limbs so it gave the illusion of Bulma was only having a nap under a tree and was still alive. Vegeta felt an odd sense of calmness as he leaned over pressed one more kiss to her forehead and in smooth motion stood.  
  
He knew what he had to do. He had to find the dragonballs to bring Bulma back to life again. //And I have to get even with a certain demon.// His lip pulled into his familiar sneer, and a animal-like growl escaped his throat. //I'll kill it.// He realized that nothing less than the demon's death would appease his anger. //I'll rip out your insides while you are still alive. I'll crush your limbs, a slow death will be most suitable for you.// A satisfied smile spread its way across the prince's lips. //For killing my mate, you demon, you will suffer and I will so enjoy your screams.//  
  
A cruel laugh escaped Vegeta's lips, as he clenched his fist. His tail flicked behind him for a moment before wrapping around his waist. //I'm coming, demon// he thought as he started out across what remained of Capsule Corporation. //And I will not be defeated.//  
  
The Saiyan warrior didn't have to go far before he encountered a figure he thought he would never see again. Black eyes that were so like his own glared back at him. The disgust, apparent on the older man's breaded visage, made Vegeta feel like an 8 year old again seeking this man's approval.  
  
"So there you are brat." The older man growled at him. "I should've known that you would end up on this miserable excuse for a planet."  
  
Vegeta scowled back, hiding his confusion at seeing his father. "What are you doing here, old man?" he snapped back. "You are dead."  
  
"Not so dead that I can't see what a weakling you have become." The elder Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and sneered at his son. "You let a third class warrior beat you? A tailless, nameless nobody beat the Heir to the throne of Vegeta-sei. How pathetic."  
  
Vegeta's fist clenched at his side. His stomach muscles clenched in anguish. How could he ever have wanted this man's approval? But even now after all these years, Vegeta sensed within himself a desire for his father's approval. He had wanted to make him proud. //What have I been thinking? This man is not a parent.//  
  
"And then you have to disgrace yourself further by getting involved with a human female." Vegeta's head snapped up at the mention of Bulma. "You actually admitted feelings for her?" Vegeta's father laughed bitterly. "My son is a weakling and a coward."  
  
"You are wrong, old man." He glanced up at his father, his whole body shaking with the rage he felt. "I am not a weakling or a coward. I will deal with Kakarotto when the time comes. As for Bulma..." Vegeta's eyes narrowed on his father. "She is NOT your concern.  
  
"No? Have you considered the consequences of what you are doing? What if she gets pregnant? Then your offspring well be a genetic nightmare." The old Vegeta shook his head in distaste. "I should've killed you when you were born. You are a disgrace to the House of Vegeta-sei. You are my biggest disappointment."  
  
Vegeta's eyebrows pulled together in his familiar frown. "No, father." Vegeta spat the word. "You are a disappointment."  
  
The elder Vegeta laughed as his image began to vanish. "You are nothing, Vegeta, and will never be anything. Do you think your human female will want you? After all you have done?"  
  
Vegeta could still hear his father's cruel laughter as he faded away. Vegeta howled as he dropped to his knees in denial. "You are wrong, old man! I will prove it!"  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
Bulma stared down at the tableau below her, wondering how she'd gotten here. Where was she? Why was she flying in the air, and her friends were down below? She wanted to be closer to them to see what was happening, and suddenly she found herself hovering right above them. ::I'm flying? How am I flying?:: she wondered to herself.  
  
She saw Goku down below, along with Vegeta, Yamcha and Krillin. They were bending over something that she couldn't see because they were obstructing her vision. She thought it was odd that none of them noticed her hovering over them. She landed lightly behind Goku and touched his shoulder to show him that she'd been flying, and stopped in shock when her hand passed through him. She tried to speak, and discovered that she had no voice to speak with. ::Goku?:: she called out to her friend mentally, but of course he didn't hear.  
  
She saw Vegeta standing next to them, his usual scowl plastered to his face, and felt a wave of relief. ::Vegeta, what's going on?:: she sent to him. She was surprised when she got no answer from him at all, not even the echo of his thoughts came back to her. It was as though he wasn't there... or she wasn't there. She started to panic, her heart beating wildly in her fear. ::My heart is beating, I *must* be here, right? Why can't they see me? Why can't they hear me?::  
  
Then she heard Yamcha laugh, and he and Krillin moved aside, allowing her a view of what they were looking at. Her heart stopped beating completely, and she forgot to breathe. She thought she was going to pass out from the sight. She was looking down at herself, sprawled upon the ground. Her head was crushed in by what appeared to be a large piece of debris. It must have struck her when her friends were sparring in the yard. She choked, staring down at her own body. ::Am I dead, then? Am I a ghost?::  
  
She looked at her friends, tears streaming down her face, choking her throat. And she almost passed out from shock. Her friends were laughing.  
  
Goku stood there with a hand behind his head, a puzzled look on his face. "Well, she really should have been more careful," he was saying earnestly.  
  
"Yeah," Krillin agreed. "She was always getting in the way. And then yelling at us when she'd get hurt. Especially me!"  
  
"No kidding." Yamcha nodded at the smaller man. "Man, am I glad to be rid of her at last. She was always screeching and yelling at me, too. I'm just as glad she's not going to yell at me every time I look at another woman now."  
  
Vegeta gave a short bark of laughter, and then an evil smirk settled on his features. "She was weak. Good riddance!"  
  
Yamcha looked surprised. "I thought you liked her!" he exclaimed.   
  
Vegeta sneered at him. "No way! I was just keeping her happy so she would keep working on my gravity room when I needed it." Bulma wanted to faint. He couldn't really mean that, could he? He was just using her the whole time? Then Vegeta leaned forward and spoke in a softer voice, saying something quite crude about her to the other men. Bulma shook with pain and embarrassment at his words. ::Does he really think that of me?::  
  
His smirk widened, and he sauntered toward the house. "Well, at least I don't have to be so secretive anymore! Woman! Get out here!" he shouted toward the house.  
  
Mrs. Briefs walked out of the kitchen door, her eyes lighting up when she saw Vegeta. "Vegeta-chan!" she called out. "What is it?"  
  
"Oh, just the removal of some useless baggage," he replied, indicating Bulma's body.  
  
Bulma held her breath. Surely her mother would berate them for treating her this way. But instead her mother just looked at her sadly and shook her head. "I always told her that she'd get into trouble, always doing things her own way. Oh well, at least we don't have to worry about her finding out the truth anymore, do we?" And with that she wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck, and gave him a passionate kiss.  
  
Something in Bulma's mind snapped. ::NOOOOO!!!:: she cried out soundlessly, and then everything went black.  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~  
  
It took Vegeta several long minutes to get hold of himself. He wasn't a failure. Bulma did want him. Why else would she put up with him if she didn't want him? Why did she invite him to stay if she didn't feel something for him?  
  
He needed to prove it and the only way he knew he could was to find the dragonballs and bring Bulma back. But what if she didn't want him and wanted Yamcha instead? His fingers clawed into the ground at his sides. But first he had something else to deal with, that demon...  
  
He got gracefully to his feet and clenched his fists. He needed to focus if he wanted to beat it, and the way his emotions were now he would be defeated again. Vegeta took a deep breath to clear his thoughts; a smile slowly spread its way across his face as he headed out across the ruins of Capsule Corporation.  
  
A figure suddenly materialized in front of him, startling the Saiyan warrior nearly out of his wits, and his jaw dropped when he figured out who it was standing in front of him.  
  
"Kakarotto?" Vegeta got control of his emotions once again and snarled at the other man. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh I came to give you a hand." Goku gave Vegeta one of those friendly smiles of his and placed a hand behind his head. "That demon will be a handful."  
  
"I don't need your help Kakarotto." Vegeta snorted. "I can handle it."   
  
"Sure Vegeta. Whatever you say. I mean you did everything you could to prevent this, right?"  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed, thick brows pulling together into a frown. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I mean you were the one that blasted the demon and made it destroy everything and kill Bulma." Goku shrugged his shoulders. "It's not a big deal that you messed up again. Underestimating your opponent, like you did with Freezer."  
  
Vegeta's lips pulled up into a snarl. How dare he? How dare that third class low-life insult his Prince? "Careful Kakarotto," he warned. "You don't want to end up dead."  
  
Goku had the nerve to laugh. "Oh sure, come off it Vegeta, you know you can't beat me, and I am a third class Saiyan. How are you going to beat that demon without my help?"  
  
Vegeta turned and stalked away. He heard the crunch of stones behind him and whirled to see the tall man following him. "Just what do you think you are doing?"  
  
"Coming with you. After all I can't trust you to beat that demon, and if you die I have to fight it anyway...."  
  
"SHUT UP KAKAROTTO!" Vegeta shouted.   
  
Goku just smiled at the prince. "Sure, I'll stay out of your way."   
  
Vegeta ground his teeth together and headed back over the debris, wondering a bit impatiently where that demon was so he could tear it limb from limb. //Then you're next Kakarotto. You're next.//  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
She was alone. Everyone was gone, and she was alone. As always. She sighed as she sat in the darkening room, sensing if not seeing the sun set outside. There was nothing for her to do any longer. Her son had grown up, her friends had all moved on to other things, and Vegeta had left her long ago.  
  
Vegeta. Even the brush of his name in her thoughts brought her pain. He'd left her so long ago, when it became obvious that he wasn't going to age like she was. He'd tired of being with an old woman - a weak human woman, as he always mocked her. She thought of him, the old heartbreak still as fresh and painful as it had been the day he'd walked out on her. She'd learned to live with it, but she'd never really gotten over it.  
  
She stood up as the house darkened, and walked slowly to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She always walked slowly these days; she couldn't move fast anymore, not with her arthritis. She moved stiffly to the teapot, sighing when she realized it would take a while for the water to heat up again. She liked her old-fashioned teapot, even though she knew there were faster ways to heat water.  
  
She sat down gingerly at the kitchen table, waiting for the water to boil, and thought about her life. She didn't like reminiscing about the past, but then again, there wasn't much in her present for her to think about. And her future seemed even emptier. No one ever visited, and she had no one to visit anymore. Chi-chi and Son Goku had moved away long ago, and were busy with their grandchildren. She'd never had a chance to have grandchildren, or at least never to see them. Her son had left with his father, training to be a 'great Saiyan warrior' like him. She'd lost him long before he'd physically left, because he'd never really wanted to be there. She didn't even know if he'd ever married and had any children. If he was anything like his father, he probably didn't want any long-term commitments, not with a weak human female.  
  
She sighed in resignation. There was no use mooning about it anymore. It was the past, and one must look forward.... She considered that. Look forward to what? The future? More loneliness like she had now? Even her company, the Capsule Corp, had passed into other hands. She sighed again, her breath shuddering, and she realized that she was on the verge of tears. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. But what did it matter if she did cry? There was no one there to see her, no one to judge her and call her weak for doing so, no one to mock her pain.  
  
She laid her head on her arms, holding back the tears more from habit than anything else. It was the whistle of the teakettle that attracted her attention before she gave in to the tears. She got up slowly again, her muscles almost creaking with the effort. She winced. It was getting painful to move around any longer. She was on medication for it, but it had gotten so much worse lately. She wasn't sure how much longer she could live here, if she couldn't do things for herself anymore.  
  
It was the shaking of the teakettle in her hand when she lifted it that clued her off. She stared at it for a moment, wondering why it was shaking like that, and then she realized that her hands were trembling uncontrollably. She tried to walk to the table to put it down, and found that she couldn't move. Her vision seemed to narrow into a small field, focusing on the teakettle and her hands, and she felt a squeezing against her heart. ::No! This can't be happening!:: she thought wildly. ::I've never had any heart problems, I'm fine! This can't be happening to me!:: She tried to take a step forward, but her feet and legs were caught in molasses. Her vision continued to narrow. There wasn't blackness around it, just... nothing. She tried to take another step forward, and the floor came up on her very fast.  
  
//I just wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye to Vegeta, to say goodbye to my son// were her last thoughts before it all went dark.  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
Vegeta found himself alone once more. //What was I doing again?// He looked off to the distance and scowled, trying to remember. The past few minutes were a blur to him. He surveyed his surroundings with a frown. Capsule Corporation was demolished, the surrounding countryside looked like it had been hit with heavy artillery, and he couldn't remember what had happened to it and for some reason his chest really hurt.  
  
"What is going on here?" he said aloud. His voice echoed, reminding the warrior how alone he actually was. //Where is everyone?// The warrior couldn't sense any ki on the planet. Nothing. There wasn't even a flicker of energy anywhere. Not even animals.  
  
Vegeta frowned again. //No. I can't be the only living thing on this planet.// It wasn't possible was it? How was it that he was the only thing left living on the earth? He took to the air, determined to find other signs of life. He crisscrossed the globe seven times before he finally realized that he was indeed the only thing left alive.  
  
//No.// Vegeta shook his head to clear it. The Saiyan warrior headed back to Capsule Corp wondering what had happened to everyone. //I am alone.// Vegeta looked out at the remains of the buildings and felt something that was foreign to him. Fear. Vegeta was afraid. It chilled him to think that he was the only living thing in the world. //Bulma?// He clenched his fist and stared at it not really seeing it. //What happened to you?// The thought that he would never hear her voice again made him realize how lonely he would be. There would be no Kakarotto to challenge. No Yamcha or Krillin to terrorize. There would be only him and the silence. The silence was what bothered him the most. No one was talking, no birds singing, no sound of water flowing, it was completely silent. The only thing he could hear was his own breathing.  
  
//I don't want to be alone// he thought as he sat down on a large boulder. //Anything but that. Please don't let me be alone.//  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
Bulma woke, every muscle in her body aching with pain. She opened her eyes to see the curtains fluttering gently over her bed. Curtains? Bed? She was alive? She gasped in relief, realizing that it had all been a dream. A dream! The whole thing must have just been a nightmare. She wondered if any of it was real, and then shook her head. Probably none of it. Not her death, not the emptiness of everyone being gone, not those strange people on that odd world, none of it. It was just a dream, a horrible nightmare.  
  
She sighed wearily, wondering why she still felt tired. Maybe she should go back to bed again.... She shuddered at the thought of having another nightmare like that, and decided it was time to get out of bed. She was alive! She wanted to shout with relief. She hurried through her morning toiletries, for once not spending over an hour getting ready. She ran downstairs and into the kitchen, and saw her mother washing the breakfast dishes. She blinked when she noticed nothing remaining on the table except for dirty dishes. "What's for breakfast, mother?" she asked, wondering where all the food had gone.  
  
Mrs. Briefs finally turned and looked at her daughter, blinking at her unfocusedly. "Oh, we've already eaten, Bulma."  
  
"Um...." Bulma blinked in confusion. "Isn't there anything left?"   
  
"Oh no. We were very hungry. Especially Vegeta-chan." There was a dreamy look in her eyes as she said the Saiyan Prince's name.  
  
Bulma's heart almost stopped. Vegeta-chan? A vague sense of foreboding, like maybe the prior dream she'd had hadn't really been a dream, started to nag at her. "You didn't save anything for me?"  
  
Mrs. Briefs finally focused on the younger woman, and frowned in confusion. "Of course not. Why should we save anything for you? You can make something for yourself if you want it. We weren't going to wait for you." She shrugged. "It's not as if you're useful for anything, anyway."  
  
Bulma felt that she'd been punched in the stomach, and she nodded slowly and absently at her mother, then walked out the kitchen door to the yard in a zombie-like trance. She saw Goku and Vegeta sparring above the house. Krillin and Yamcha were lounging on the patio, watching the two Saiyans, and she couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe they could help her make some sense of what was going on here. She waved at them and called out to them, but when they turned scornful and indifferent expressions toward her, her smile faded. ::What's going on here?:: she wondered desperately.  
  
"Yamcha?" She looked at him, and continued tentatively at his derisive look. "Do you know what's going on with my mother? Why is she acting so strange?"  
  
"Strange? How?" Yamcha frowned at her.   
  
"Well...." Bulma trailed off, not really sure how to explain it. "She's acting like she's upset at me or something."  
  
Yamcha laughed mockingly, an odd sound coming from his handsome throat. "Bulma, you're going to have to stop believing that the universe centers around you." He stopped laughing and looked at her contemptuously. "It doesn't, you know. You're not even all that important to us. How many times have we saved the world? All you've ever done is get in the way and make trouble for us, so we have to rescue you. And yell at us when you think we've done something wrong. I haven't seen *you* out there risking your life to save the world, and yet you think you're so important and that you can boss us around!"  
  
"That's right!" Krillin chimed in, agreeing with the taller warrior. "You're always getting mad and hitting me for no reason, and how many times have I saved your life?"  
  
Bulma choked, gasping for breath, trying to come to terms with what she was hearing. "But I've... I've helped gather the dragonballs to save both of you before! I've always helped you gather the dragonballs!"  
  
She hadn't noticed the two Saiyans land nearby, having overheard the exchange, until Goku spoke up. "That's right, Bulma. You're the one with the dragonradars. That's why we've never said anything to you before. But even when I was little, you took advantage of me for the dragonballs. You used me to protect you, and you were going to betray me, weren't you? You didn't care about me back then. You've never really cared about anyone." He spoke with the sincerity and honesty that he always used, and she stared at him, numb with shock.  
  
"Goku?" she asked questioningly. "But I... I cared about you! I did!"   
  
He shook his head, smiling slightly. "No you didn't. You didn't tell me that when we would call the dragons to get the wish that I would lose my dragonball. You just wanted to get your wish, and you had me tag along behind you to protect you. You weren't very nice to me back then, but you always expected me to rescue you, and then you'd yell at me!"  
  
"But I... why didn't you say anything before?" Tears stung her eyes. "Why are you telling me this now?"  
  
He continued to smile at her ingenuously. "Because you still had the dragonradars, and that was the only way we could gather the dragonballs. I had to save my friends, if one of them got killed in a fight. *They* were actually doing something useful, after all! But we don't need you any more, because Guru and Dende can summon the dragonballs if we need them. So we don't need you anymore."  
  
"Don't need...." Bulma choked, reaching for the rail to hold herself upright. She thought she was about to collapse. She looked at Vegeta, desperation in her gaze, hoping that he would at least support her. "Vegeta, do you...?"  
  
Vegeta gave a short bark of laughter and smirked evilly. "Give it up, woman. You're weak. You've always been weak. What did you think I could ever have seen in you? I was only using you because you could rebuild the gravity room if I needed it." His eyes narrowed and he advanced on her, a cruel smile on his face. When his nose was practically touching hers, he spoke again, his tone merciless and derisive, with a vicious gleam in his eyes. "You didn't *really* think I would care about someone as ugly and stupid as you, did you? I'm the Prince of Vegeta-sei, I wouldn't stick myself with a low-born, low-class, weak little nothing like you! You' re not even very good in bed!"  
  
Yamcha tossed his head scornfully. "Why do you think I never touched you? Because I respected you? You know I've been with other women. I just never *wanted* to touch a woman as annoying and pathetic as you are! Vegeta's right, you're just ugly and stupid and irritating. You've been a thorn in my side practically since I've known you. I've wanted to break up with you for years, but didn't want to make you so mad at me that you wouldn't gather the dragonballs if I died!"  
  
Vegeta's grin widened, and he grabbed her arm and twisted it viciously, driving her to the ground, to her knees. Tears filled her eyes, partly from the physical pain, but mostly from the emotional pain of what she was hearing. "What, did you think I actually *cared* about you? I care about Kakarot more than I do you! At least he's a Saiyan, and one of my few remaining subjects, so he has *some* value to me. You, you're just a," he made a gesture and used a crude term that almost caused Bulma to faint. She leaned forward on the palms of her hands, feeling nauseous, and wondered what she'd done to deserve it. And then all of their voices came to her all at once, telling her about her failures, her weakness, her uselessness, and most of all, the fact that none of them cared about her, that none of them had ever cared. She pitched forward, weak with nausea and despair, as everything went black.  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
Vegeta shivered from the cold in the room. Something had happened to the temperature gauge and it had never been fixed. There were quite a few things in the house that didn't work anymore. But then no one fixed things like Bulma did.  
  
Bulma. Vegeta's eyes shut at the memory. She had been dead for over 50 years now, but the pain of her loss was still as fresh as the day it had happened. His Bulma. They had never married, but had only lived together for a short while. It had seemed to the prince that she had been satisfied with him, but when they discovered that he could not give her what she wanted, she had left and married Yamcha.  
  
Vegeta laughed bitterly, then ended up coughing up blood. He held his sides as the pain eased and sighed. To think that Bulma had left him because he couldn't give her the only thing she had really wanted. Vegeta wasn't fertile. Of all things that he wasn't capable of, the fact that he couldn't get Bulma pregnant still bothered the warrior, and the fact that she had seven children to Yamcha had driven the insult in even further. Every time he saw one of Bulma's children, the two that were still living, he was filled with a bitter regret. A sense of wrongness always overcame him. Somehow those brats should be his. He hadn't even realized that he had wanted children until Bulma had discovered him incapable of doing that simplest of things.  
  
"I swear, Vegeta, you are pathetic," she had told him with her hands on her hips. "You can destroy planets but you can't give me a baby? What do you think? That I'll live forever?"  
  
He had tried to talk her in to staying with him. He had told her that he loved her. He had begged her to let him stay with her. But she had merely laughed and said that he was less than a man, and had told him that since he couldn't give her what she wanted, then she would go find someone who could. Two weeks later, she married Yamcha.  
  
Yamcha. The name left a bitter taste in his mouth. Not only had the other man taken the woman he loved away from him, but he had beaten him in the world's martial arts tournament. Defeated him in front of millions of people, and Bulma had laughed. Laughed and told him that she knew he was weak. She had walked away holding her third child, and he had lost the will to fight.  
  
He still couldn't figure out how or when Yamcha had become more powerful than himself. After he had married Bulma, Yamcha's power had tripled, rivaling Goku's. And two years after his disgrace, Yamcha's power surpassed Vegeta's younger rival, and for the life of him, Vegeta couldn't figure out how he had managed it.  
  
Kakarotto. His oldest rival had died a year before, and now Vegeta had no one to talk to. //Not that it matters// he thought bitterly. //I am dying anyway.// He had cancer. Cancer, of all things. It was eating at him, stealing what was left of his power, and the only thing it gave him in return was pain. But it wasn't going to win. He wouldn't let it. Not after everything that had happened.  
  
Vegeta swung his legs out of bed and stood on shaky legs. "You won't win," he told empty air. He found himself suddenly angry. "You won't win," he repeated a little louder than before. He had no idea to whom he was speaking, but he found himself getting even angrier. "You won't take my power too." Vegeta was surprised to feel the power flowing through him again. "Not this time." Vegeta felt himself getting stronger as he was getting angrier. "NO! I will not die like this!" He shouted it this time. His hands were tightly clenched into fists. His fingernails were actually drawing blood. "I will die like a warrior. I will convince Bulma that she needs me." The warrior was letting his emotions take over. The anger that washed over him was sharp and nothing like he could ever remember experiencing, and then his body felt warm, encased in a slow golden glow.  
  
"NO!!!!!!!" Vegeta screamed as he sat up. The Saiyan's breathing was ragged. He stood up. "I won't let you." He blinked in confusion when he found himself standing in the living room of the Capsule house. Everything was where it should be, except two things had changed. Vegeta had become a Super Saiyan and Bulma was laying the middle on the living room unconscious. "NO!" He repeated and knelt beside her. He scooped her up in his arms, his memories flooding back. He had challenged that demon, and it had blasted them with a beam. The beam had caused all the nightmares. And if he experienced it, then Bulma was still in the midst of her dreams. He had to wake her before it was too late. Before the darkness over took her and the demon's spell killed her.  
  
"I won't let it." Vegeta whispered against her hair, as he held her close. "I won't let this hurt you. I swear."  
  
//Bulma listen to me. You need to wake up now. This is nothing but a bad dream.//  
  
~~~~~*~~~~~   
  
As Bulma slept, she dreamed. Memories filtered through her dreams, sparkling motes of light that drifted lazily down, fluttering past her heart, and she remembered....  
  
~~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~~  
  
  



	2. Dream a Little Dream - part 2: Awakening...

TITLE: Dream a Little Dream ~ part 2  
AUTHOR: Mia Skywalker, Wataruo   
GENRE: Dragonball Z   
CHARACTERS: Vegeta, Bulma, and an unnamed demon  
WARNINGS: Angst, death, some blood, slight OOCness (due to the angst)  
DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine (or Shawna's), but if they ever come up for grabs, I get first dibs! Well, except for the demon, she was completely my invention!  
NOTES: I had posted this before as a snippet, originally with no intention of ever finishing it. But because we were in the mood to write, but we weren't in the mood to write for ALitD at the moment, we decided to finish this piece. I hope you enjoy.   
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: TwoMoons for beta'ing this. Since it had previously been just a snippet, I hadn't had it beta'd before.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Bulma slept, she dreamed. Memories filtered through her dreams, sparkling motes of light that drifted lazily down, fluttering past her heart, and she remembered....  
  
~~*~~  
  
She remembered when she first saw him. It was on the videocast, he was fighting her friends. She saw Yamcha die before her eyes, and remembered the gut-twisting agony of it. 'Yamcha! I was going to marry him!' she'd cried out at the time, before bursting into heart-broken tears. She'd watched as he killed everyone except Krillin, Gohan and Goku, and then he took Goku out so he wasn't in any condition to fight. The despair that she'd felt, seeing only Krillin and Gohan left standing.... Gohan was only a child, and Krillin was... well, Krillin had never really impressed her with his courage. And then Gohan had beaten him, and he'd left, much to their relief. But then they had to go to Namek....  
  
She had seen him was on Namek. It was in a dream, he was chasing her with glowing red eyes, threatening her that if she didn't give him the dragonball that he'd kill her. In her dream she tried to hand him the dragonball, but he'd ignored it, and killed her anyway.... She'd screamed, a scream torn from her throat in pure terror and fright. It hadn't seemed a dream that time. She felt another scream torn from her throat even now. ::Am I dreaming?:: she wondered. ::If I am, why can't I wake up?::  
  
Another memory, another time. It was again on Namek. He, Krillin, and Gohan were defending her from Zarbon. Defending her? He was defending her? She'd thought that Zarbon was attractive, and thought that maybe she could convince him to leave them alone. He had laughed at her, and called her a 'silly girl'. Then the memory twisted, and changed. He'd laughed at her and called her worse, then turned on her to attack her, instead of attacking Zarbon. ::No! It didn't happen that way!:: she denied. But the memory continued, and in it, he attacked her, mocking her, and tried to kill her.... She wasn't even sure why she was alive. If he'd tried to kill her, she would be dead, wouldn't she?  
  
The memory faded, another rose, this one when they first returned to Earth. He was brought back to Earth with them when Kami had made the wish to bring them back. She'd been angry about that, they had fought... and he'd come to live with her family for a while. Eventually she'd grown to understand him and they'd developed an uneasy truce, which had grown into something more.... The memory changed, and suddenly he was threatening her, forcing her to let him live with her. ::No. That's not how it happened:: Memories of him threatening her, abusing her.... ::No! That didn't happen!:: Memories of trying to flee futilely from the pain he inflicted, and failing.... ::NO! That did NOT happen!::  
  
The memory of their first time together came to her, but instead of remembering how beautiful and intense and wonderful it had been, her memory showed that he had been brutal, and contemptuous, and callous. Instead of tenderness and gentleness, knowing it was her first time, he'd been cruel, mocking her that no one had ever wanted her. ::Was that... was that how it happened?:: she wondered in confusion. ::Did he do that?::  
  
She could no longer remember. Her memories were confusing her; she was beginning to doubt them. What had been the reality, what the illusion? Too many memories were twisting up around each other, conflicting, distorting, and changing. She no longer knew what was real.  
  
Does it matter? came a small, nagging voice. Reality is what you see, what you experience, what you remember. If you experience, is it not real? If you remember it, was it not so?  
  
::No:: she whimpered to herself. ::He never hurt me. He would never hurt me.::  
  
Wouldn't he? How about when he killed your friends? How about when he ridiculed you?  
  
::No, it's different now! He's changed!::   
  
Has he? Look at him. He still answers everything with violence. He still kills, sees nothing wrong with killing.  
  
::But he *is* changing!:: she thought in a tiny, despairing voice. Her resistance was growing weaker; she could feel herself becoming convinced by the other voice in her mind.  
  
Is he? Or have you just been deluding yourself? Why should he change?   
  
::He's changing because he cares about me. ...doesn't he?::   
  
Why should he care about you? He's a Prince. What are you? A nobody, a nothing, a less than nothing.  
  
A tiny denial echoed itself against the walls of her mind, as she started to sink back into blackness again, this time forever.  
  
//Bulma listen to me. You need to wake up now. This is nothing but a bad dream.//  
  
The touch of a new voice in her mind, a deeper, more masculine one, brought her back, only to sink her into despair again a moment later. ::Dream? It's not a dream. You told me that it's real. That if I remember it so, that it must be so.:: Loneliness and despair threaded her thoughts as she started to sink deeper again.  
  
//No, it is not real// the voice insisted. //It is something that demon did. Remember? It hit us with that blast. It is a side effect of the spell. Please Bulma, you need to wake up.//  
  
::Us?:: Bulma's thoughts were a welter of confusion. ::Who are you? Why do you torment me?::  
  
//It's Vegeta, Bulma// Vegeta's voice spoke urgently.// Remember? Do you remember what you asked me to do for you?//  
  
::Do for me?:: Her thoughts were filled with confusion. She remembered many things, all of them mixed together, all of them confused. But the main part she remembered, what she wanted of Vegeta.... ::I asked you to stay. You didn't stay. You didn't stay!:: She gave a mental wail, remembering those nightmares, of Vegeta leaving her, of Vegeta rejecting her. All of the rejections she'd experienced had hurt, but his rejection had hurt most of all. ::Why?:: she wondered. ::Is it because I loved him, and he never loved me back? Is it because he broke my heart?:: Despair started to fill her again. ::LEAVE ME ALONE!:: she commanded the voice, filled with anguish and despair. ::You aren't Vegeta. Vegeta hates me. Vegeta left me, all alone....::  
  
//You're wrong, Bulma. I have never left you.// Vegeta's voice came again, not letting her slip away. //I don't want you to leave me. Come back to me, Bulma. Please, Bulma-chan. I need you. I need you so much.//  
  
::No. Vegeta doesn't need me. He only wants to be a warrior, he doesn't want someone weak like me. He told me I was pathetic, a nothing, a nobody. He doesn't need anyone, and he doesn't need me.:: A sob escaped from her throat, giving Vegeta hope that she was finally starting to wake up.  
  
//You are a warrior, despite what you think// he informed her. //When we got back to earth you never showed me any fear. You invited me to stay with you, remember?// There was a hint of amusement to the voice now. //You told me not to seduce you because you were beautiful. Do you remember that? And after a while you started to argue with me even though you knew I could snap you like a twig. But you knew - you KNEW, Bulma - that I would never hurt you.// Strong arms slipped around her waist. //Never...//  
  
::But then why did you leave me?:: she wondered, a tiny confused thought. ::You left me, you told me I was pathetic and ugly. You told me that I was a weak old woman, and I died alone.:: She shuddered, sobs starting to wrack her body. ::You laughed when I died, you and the others. You said you only stayed because I could fix the gravity room. You called me a...:: Her thoughts broke off. ::You said you were just using me!:: she wailed.  
  
//It never happened// Vegeta explained. //I know it's hard to believe, but Bulma, I wouldn't let you die. Not without a fight. Think, Bulma... Why do you think I stay? Do you want to know why I stay? Do you want me to tell you the truth?//  
  
::Truth? But you didn't stay.:: Her memories were clouded, they were confusing her. What was truth, what was reality? She remembered so many different things, none of them made sense together. ::If you stayed... why would you have stayed? I don't understand.::  
  
//I stayed because I married you// came the quiet thought. //I was going to tell you but I was afraid...//  
  
::Married?:: Bulma was confused. She touched her memories, turning each one over like leaves on a field, but couldn't find any of a wedding, not even amongst all the conflicting memories that she had, true or false. ::No, you didn't:: she said accusingly, subconsciously finally accepting the voice as Vegeta's. There was a note of peevishness to her thoughts. ::You never married me. You're lying! Stupid lying Saiyan....::  
  
//According to Saiyan law we are married. Do you remember that day I took you to see that waterfall? We bathed in it together, we hunted together, we shared a meal, we slept out in the open that night. Do you remember?//  
  
::Married?:: She was dumbfounded. ::That's stupid, Vegeta:: she scoffed, completely rational. ::Then a lot of humans would be married that never intended to be. So where's the ceremony? Where's the priest making you take vows? Where are your family, your friends, the witnesses? What makes it a marriage?:: He could hear her thoughts growing stronger, and sounding slightly irritated.  
  
//Saiyan weddings are private// he replied. //The hunt makes it a marriage. You remember the hunt?// Vegeta insisted. //Vows mean nothing, words mean nothing, what we expressed that night for each other needed no words. I know you felt it. You feel it still. Just like I do.// Vegeta pressed a kiss against her temple. //You don't need me to tell you how much I love you. You just know.//  
  
As his words sank into her mind, warmth spread outward from her heart. Her eyes slowly opened, blearily focusing on Vegeta's face hovering so close to hers, an anxious expression on it that she'd never seen before. ::You do?:: she asked in surprise, still speaking telepathically, her thoughts colored with a vague, gentle curiosity. ::You love me?:: Then her brows furrowed, and she was suddenly angry. ::No, I *didn't* know! You idiot! Why didn't you ever say anything? Did you expect me to just miraculously *know*, when you've never given me any indication? Do you have any idea what I just went through? If I had known, I could have fought it. I didn't know!:: She started to cry. ::Because you were too proud to say those words, I almost died. I almost died! Because you were too proud....:: Great, wrenching sobs wracked through her body as she wept against his chest. ::Why couldn't you just say something to me, even once?::  
  
Vegeta sighed in relief when Bulma awoke and he held her close as she cried. //I was afraid, Bulma. I couldn't accept it if you rejected me. So I kept our relationship the way it was. But our relationship is going to change. It has to.// His arms tightened around her.  
  
::Afraid? You've never been afraid. Of anything. You're not even afraid of death. Why would you be afraid?:: She clung more tightly to him. ::I could never have rejected you. How could I?::  
  
//You would be surprised at what frightens me// came the quiet reply. //It seems that I have quite a few fears that the demon's spell showed me. But I fear losing you the most.// Vegeta was silent for a moment before he continued. //I need you more than anything. Please stay with me Bulma. I couldn't handle it if you left.//  
  
::Left? How could I have ever left you? I couldn't have left you, Vegeta. Even if it meant my death.:: She laughed briefly, a mirthless sound. She was simply too weary, too raw with emotional pain, to be anything other than absolutely truthful. ::It would break my heart to leave you. Haven't you figured that out yet? Look.:: She opened her mind to him, showing him what she'd experienced in the moments - and years - that she'd been caught in her nightmares. If she had been less exhausted, she might have held back, not shown him everything, but in the state she was in, her emotional wounds open and exposed, she was unable to hide anything that her pride might otherwise have preferred to remain hidden. ::If you ever left me, Vegeta - if you ever rejected me - it would break my heart.:: She curled up tighter, and her thoughts came at him, frightened and tentative. ::I know I'm not good enough for you but... please stay with me!::  
  
Vegeta's arms tightened around her and he pressed his face into her hair. //I will never leave you// he stated fiercely. //I will protect you with my life. I swear to you.//  
  
She pulled back from him to give him a kiss, and then noticed the change in him for the first time. Her eyes widened in shock. "Vegeta? What did you do to your hair? And your *eyes*?!?"  
  
Vegeta blinked. "What are you talking about?" he asked speaking aloud for the first time since she woke.  
  
"Well, your hair is blond. And your eyes are green. How did you DO that?"   
  
"Blond?" Vegeta found himself wondering if the demon's spell had affected Bulma's vision. He put his hand against her forehead wondering if she was sick. "You don't feel warm. Are you all right woman?"  
  
Bulma gave him an irritated look. "I'm perfectly fine, radish head." She reached up and took a long strand of his hair, pulling it down to where he could see it. "Maybe you should take a look in the mirror. There's one in the hallway. Do you want to see?"  
  
Vegeta was startled to discover that Bulma was right. The strand of his hair that was curled around her finger was indeed blond. Vegeta stood, pulling Bulma up with him. "Maybe I will have a look after all." He strolled in the hallway, after releasing Bulma and stopped to glance in the mirror. He frowned at his reflection for several long minutes before he realized what it was he was seeing. Then he started laughing.  
  
Bulma stared at him for several minutes, dumbfounded by his behaviour. "You've gone mad!" she spat at him. "Your hair mysteriously changes color, and you're *laughing*?!? For all you know, it might be some horrible disease that's going to kill you or something, and all you can do is *laugh*?" She continued to glare at him. "Or if you know what's going on, please, enlighten me!"  
  
"No, woman, this is no disease." He continued to chuckle while she glared at him. "I have done it. I am a Super Saiyan."  
  
Bulma blinked at that revelation. "You are?" She studied him curiously for a moment, her anger having evaporated instantly. "I've never seen Goku actually go Super Saiyan, I was just told that he'd done it. How do you know that's what happened?"  
  
Vegeta snorted. "This is exactly what I saw and felt when I saw Kakarotto do it." He grinned at her rather smugly. The warrior was actually beginning to feel like himself again. "Now we will see who is the strongest, won't we?"  
  
Bulma swallowed, a lump forming suddenly in her throat. He'd just finished telling her that he loved her, that he needed her, and yet... it was obvious he really didn't understand what that meant. ::If he loves me, he wouldn't want to hurt me, but if he kills Goku, he knows that will hurt me. I've told him before how that would hurt me, and he always scoffed.:: Goku was her oldest friend, the only one she ever felt she could rely on, and Vegeta would take that away from her for some sort of 'contest', for the glory of being the 'strongest'. She knew she could never truly understand that. She turned away from him, not wanting him to see her pain. "Do what you will, Radish head. You always do."  
  
Vegeta looked over his shoulder at Bulma's remark. ::Now where did that come from?:: he wondered, frowning at her when her expression betrayed what she was feeling. But what is was that was bothering her he didn't know. "What is it?" he asked, a little more hesitantly than he intended, and frowned when he realized that his emotions were not completely under control. //Must've been that spell the demon cast.// At the thought he glanced quickly around the room. "Bulma!" he snapped. "Come here. There is no telling where that demon went."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Bulma snapped irritably. "That demon is long gone, I'm sure! Why would it have stayed around?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "How long were we unconscious?" She looked over at a clock, realizing that Vegeta didn't know how to read Chikyuu time, but what she saw made no sense. She was certain that they'd been out cold for longer than just a few minutes. Maybe days had passed, and they didn't know it. She strode over to her electronic calendar and pressed the button. When it happily chirped out the date to her, she blinked in surprise. They'd been out for less time than she'd realized. She turned and faced the Saiyan Prince, her hands on her hips. "Well?" She looked at him in annoyance. "Then why don't you find it or something, if it's still around? Or would you rather it snuck up on us again?"  
  
"Don't boss me woman!" he snapped, his eyes flashing. "What do you think I was going to do? Stay here." He turned on his heel and expected his command to be obeyed as he stepped out into the hallway. He reached out with his senses to see if he could detect the demon. //Soon to be deceased// he thought to himself with some satisfaction.  
  
"Oooh! That obnoxious Saiyan!" Bulma fumed, wanting to slap him for ordering her around that way. "What does he think I am? His servant or something? I'll teach him!" With that, she completely ignored all caution, including the tiny voice in her head warning her that she was being foolishly reckless, and strode in fury outside towards her lab. "I'm going to get some work done, and I don't care *what* he thinks of me!"  
  
Bulma slammed open the door to her laboratory, her wrath ruffled by how she felt used by Vegeta. She stormed over to her workbench, her eyes snapping with the anger that she felt for Vegeta's cavalier treatment of her. Suddenly alarm bells went off in her head, as she realized that the door hadn't been locked, a state it should never have been in. The lights also hadn't kicked in automatically as they should have, but the room was still dark. "What...?"  
  
"Well, well!" came a softly rasping voice. A beautiful woman slowly moved from the shadows, the light catching her face and upper torso. Bulma might have assumed that she was simply a beautiful woman, until more of her came into view, and Bulma saw the large, thick, serpentine tail that wrapped under her and seemed to be serving her for legs. And that by itself was bad enough, but as she flowed further into the light, Bulma saw that the end of the tail parted into octopus tentacles, which waved gently in the air around her, as though stirred by an unfelt breeze.   
  
Bulma froze in horror, unable to move. "Who... are you?" she whimpered in sudden fear.  
  
The woman smiled, her overly wide mouth filled with sharp teeth that were unnervingly too long for her face. "Oh, my name isn't important," she purred. "What is important is that you're such a *luscious* morsel!"  
  
Bulma's breath came out in tiny pants, and she suddenly discovered that she didn't have the strength to even cry out. Terror filled her limbs, freezing her in place, her heart-rate increasing wildly as the creature in front of her reached out with one hand, running a cold finger down Bulma's face. ::VEGETA!:: Bulma called out mentally, hoping that somehow he could hear her thoughts. ::HELP ME!::  
  
Vegeta was still trying to pinpoint the demon's location when he heard Bulma's mental cry for help. Without questioning what he was doing, he headed instinctively for the lab. There was something incredibly powerful in there with his lifemate, and from the panicked sound of her mental voice, he did not have to be a genius to figure out what it was that was frightening Bulma.  
  
He pulled open the door, eyes widening slightly when he saw the demon woman. "So there you are," he said conversationally as he positioned himself in between Bulma and the demoness. "I have been waiting for you to show yourself." He settled into a battle stance, powering up into Super Saiyan as he did so. "Nice of you to drop by."  
  
The demon's eyes narrowed as Vegeta spoiled her game. She had been enjoying tormenting her prey, and his presence interrupted it. "You!" she hissed in irritation, her eyes narrowing. "I thought you were dead!" Her voice was laced with contempt. "How did you manage to get out of that? I suppose your mind must have been stronger than I'd thought!"  
  
"And you are dumber than I thought." He smirked, some deep part of him satisfied that he had in one way beaten the demon. "It takes much more than a mind game to kill a Saiyan. And I am the strongest. Prepare to meet your doom, fish face! For I am Prince Vegeta, Heir to the House of Vegeta-sei, and I do not take kindly to those that threaten my mate."  
  
"Hmph!" she snorted scornfully, not at all impressed. "You think you're so tough, mortal? I wonder." She waved a hand, and a blinding pain went through Vegeta's head. When he blinked his eyes open, he saw Bulma standing in front of him instead of behind him. She was smiling at him in an odd manner, and she pointed behind him. "She's right there," Bulma purred at him, an odd sound in her voice. "Why don't you kill her?"  
  
Vegeta looked behind him and saw the demoness frozen behind him, trembling with fear. It looked at him in terror, shivering helplessly, and he knew he could blast it easily before it could react.  
  
He looked at the demoness, eyes narrowing. //How in the hell did it get back there?// he wondered. //Wasn't Bulma behind me?// He raised a hand and prepared to blast the pitiful shaking creature out of existence. But something was nagging his subconscious, something that he should know, and it made him hesitate. "Well now, I have no idea how you did that, but be prepared, for I am going to send you to hell." //At least it is smart enough to be afraid.// But something about that thought sent off a warning bell. Though he was pleased that the demoness was frightened, it had seemed so cocky earlier. //Now what is this? An act?//  
  
Bulma's eyes widened as she saw Vegeta building a ki blast, preparing to blast her out of existence. "Vegeta?" she whimpered in sudden fear, her heart shattering with the realization that he was going to kill her. "What are you...? Do you hate me that much?" She hated the way her voice clogged with her tears, but she didn't know how to make her pride stay intact when she was about to die at the hands of the man she loved. She closed her eyes, feeling that she'd rather die than continue to live, knowing he hated her enough to kill her.  
  
The demoness smiled from her position behind Vegeta. With his own hand he would destroy the woman that he sought to protect, and in his grief he would be destroyed. He might even kill himself, if his shame and grief was enough. But whether he killed himself, or his soul was simply shattered, the demoness didn't care. Either way, the emotions released would be delicious, and she would feast on them in delight.  
  
Something was definitely not right. Vegeta could not figure out what it was that was bothering him. He lowered his hand, eyes narrowing, eyebrows pulling together in a frown. What was the beast taking about? "What?" he asked the creature as it trembled before him. "Are you playing helpless for what you did to me and Bulma?" he asked it, trying to figure out what was nagging at him. //What is it? Is it stalling? Did it cast another spell on me?//  
  
"What?" Bulma stared at him in confusion. "What I did to you? Vegeta, I'm not... Vegeta, I'm not the demon! The demon is still behind you! Why are you going to attack me?"  
  
Vegeta glanced back at the woman behind him that appeared to be Bulma. The demon put as innocent of an expression on her face as she could manage. "Vegeta!" she said, picking up on what Bulma was calling him. "Can't you see that it's trying to fool you? Kill it! Kill it before it has a chance to kill me!"  
  
He frowned again, now he was certain something was going on. //It did cast some sort of spell on me// he thought, looking between the two of them, the demoness and Bulma. //But which is the demon?// He folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "You are right. I should kill the demon before it can do you harm." Vegeta spoke slowly, watching the demon's expression. "Bulma you should leave.." He looked over behind him, noting his mate's expression. //Which one? How do I choose?//  
  
The demon's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be resisting her spell somewhat. Not entirely - he still couldn't tell which one of them was his lover - but enough that he didn't obey her commands instantly. "I'll leave, Vegeta, but first you have to kill the demon for me. I want you to kill it for me!" the false Bulma insisted.  
  
Bulma closed her eyes, and lowered her head. ::She's done something to him. I don't know what. Oh, Vegeta!:: Suddenly her head shot up, and she glared at her Saiyan Prince in determination. "Vegeta, I won't let her hurt you. You have to come back to me, Vegeta! I love you! I won't let her hurt you, even if it kills me!"  
  
Vegeta, his expression blank, looked at the demoness in front of him, and glanced behind him at Bulma. She was looking frustrated that he wasn't doing what she commanded. //When did Bulma become so bloodthirsty?// A smirk slowly spread its way across his face as he looked back at the demon and addressed it. "Thank you for letting me know which was you, demon." He raised his hand, still smirking, a ball of blue light appearing in his hand. But as he released it, he spun on his heel and fired the blast at Bulma behind him. "My Bulma," he smiled in satisfaction as the blast hit her in the center of the chest, "is not nearly as bloodthirsty nor as ugly as you."  
  
"NOOOOO!" the demon wailed, as the energy blast struck her square in the chest. Sparks flew over her body, and he could see a strange fading around the edges of her. Then with a great cry of despair, she suddenly exploded into tiny black particles, which dispersed into the air and vanished.  
  
The real Bulma had stared at him in frozen shock, as he'd smirked evilly at her, preparing the ki blast to fire on her. When he abruptly turned and fired it at the demoness behind him, she sagged against the wall behind her in the surge of relief that washed through her, the energy draining from her limbs as the shock and terror wore off. She'd been so afraid... not only for herself, although she was certain that Vegeta was going to kill her - but for Vegeta, because she was equally certain that the creature would kill Vegeta the second that Bulma was dead. Tears slipped from her eyes as she slid against the wall to the floor, her head dropping to her knees in exhaustion.  
  
Vegeta smirked, powering down as the demoness vanished before him. "Never underestimate a Saiyan, demon," he said to its disappearing form. "For us, nothing is impossible." He turned then, sure that the creature was gone, to see Bulma slumped against the wall, head on her knees. The Saiyan Prince went to her quickly, sinking down on his knees in front of her, and gathered her in his arms. His fingers stroked her hair as he held her and whispered to her soothingly. "It's alright. It's gone."   
  
"You were going to kill me," she murmured in confusion, allowing his fingers in her hair and his arms around her to soothe and calm her. "You hated me so much, you were going to kill me." Tears gathered in her eyes, even as she rested her cheek against his chest, allowing him to comfort her. It occurred to her that she should find it strange that the man who'd been about to kill her moments before was now reassuring her, but she was too tired to question it.  
  
"It cast another spell," he whispered, his tone subdued. "It made me think that it was you. But it didn't for long. It gave too much away."  
  
"Vegeta, I... Vegeta, would you have killed me?" Bulma didn't know why she asked that question, why she was tormenting herself that way. She suspected that if he'd killed her and she hadn't turned out to be the demon, that he'd just have turned around and killed the demon, and not really cared. Tears leaked from her eyes, and she began to tremble again. After everything she'd been through, everything they'd been through, she still wasn't entirely sure of him. It was still difficult for her to remember what had been the dream and what had been reality, and confusion still reigned in her thoughts.  
  
"No I would never hurt you." Vegeta tried to pull her closer to him, tried to reassure her fears. "It was rather easy to tell which one was you." He chuckled, the sound rumbling beneath her ear. "You would never want another's death. You would've asked me to stop her, not commanded me to kill her. It was a fatal mistake for the demon."   
  
That hadn't really been Bulma's question. She hadn't been afraid that he couldn't tell them apart, she'd just been afraid that he wouldn't have *cared* if he couldn't tell them apart. "But if you hadn't been able to tell us apart," she insisted, "would you have killed me? If you couldn't tell which one was me, and which one was her, would you have killed one of us anyway? Or both of us?" Bulma relaxed slightly, his hands working their usual magic on her, and easing away her tension. She was still upset about everything that had happened, but her body was finally realizing that the danger was past.   
  
"No. I wouldn't have killed either of you then," he stated flatly. "I would not harm you."  
  
"But you..." She swallowed, sounding slightly afraid. "You were... you were ready to...."  
  
"No, never." He cupped her face between his hands and forced her to look into his eyes "I swear I would never hurt you. I will protect you always."  
  
Somehow Bulma found herself believing him, as she looked up into his obsidian gaze. The normally cold and aloof depths of them were suddenly burning with something intense, something she had seen in his eyes only a few times before. She lifted a hand and touched him gently on the cheek, before she wrapped both arms around him and pulled him more tightly against her. Exhaustion then found its way through her, threading through her limbs and making her feel limp.  
  
Vegeta rose to his feet, cradling Bulma against him, and he almost smiled as he looked down at her. "Time for bed woman, it has been a long day." As he made his way into the house and up the stairs, a mischievious glint could be seen in his gaze. "Perhaps," he said, as he opened their bedroom door, "I should spend more of my time making you believe that I care for you. It will be a enjoyable experience for the both of us."   
  
Bulma smiled drowsily in his arms, looking forward to his proof, knowing she was going to enjoy it more than anything. She sighed as she snuggled against him, and as the door closed behind them, she knew that Vegeta would never stay away from her for long.  
  
~~~OWARI~~~  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
